Purifying iodine



Jan. 31, 1933. c. w. JONES Y 1,895,929

PURIFYING' IODINE Filed NOV. 6, 1931 INVENTOR BY iw jimw M gt.

ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 3 1, 1933 couL'rER w. Jamison SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR T JoNEsoHEMroAL can,

' rANY, me, or McDADE, LOUISIANA, A coaronnrron or LOUISIANA x V PURIIYING "me e I Application filed November 6,1931; Serial N o 57 3,370.

In the commercial production of iodine the latter is precipitated in the elemental state by suitable chemical treatment of an aqueous liquor 7 containing the iodine in combined form. The precipitate of'crude iodine crys tals is filtered from the mother liquor, and the wet crystals are sublimed to prepare, a puri- ,7

fied product. The removalof water'fromthe crude crystals occasions a materialfloss of iodine as vapor along with the water vapor. The sublimation of iodine is also a slow and tedious operation'which is wasteful of heat and which, furthermore, does not entirely remove volatile impurities present in the crude iodine. y

' I have now discoveredthat crude iodine crystals may be purified to a high degree by agitating with, and subsequently melting under, anaqueous medium capable of decomposing or, dissolving the usual impurities present,

and drawing off the molten iodine which is thus obtained directly in a moisture-free condition., By melting the iodine under a proteca tive layer consisting of the aqueous purifying solution loss of iodine as vapor is practically precluded; The entire purificationmay be carried out more rapidly and expeditiously than by sublimation, and the heat consump tion is notably reduced. The invention, then, consists in the improved procedure hereinafter fully described and particularly claimed, the annexed drawing and following description setting forth but a few of the various Ways in which the vention may be used. 9 In said drawing The single figure representsone form of ap-- paratus suitable for carrying out the invention; w

7 As a purifying agent adapted tothe method of my invention I may use a relatively non-volatile mineral acid solution of suitable concentration, for example, sulphuric acid pressure of the vapor generated. 'I have:

principle of the in-' i molds to solidify. f

found, for example, that a sulphuricv acid so-' lution of approximately60 per cent strength may be used Withadvant'age, but considerable variation from the figure mentioned'is per missible without mater'ally altering-thedetails of procedure; l

carried out by first treating the crude iodine crystals, with the mineral acid solution by agitating theisame together at ordinary or a In general, my improved method be moderately elevated temperature and then heating the mixture to'a temperature soine- 7 what above the melting poi'ntof the iodine, whereby Stratification occurs permitting the molten iodine tobe drawn off and's pfiiated from the aqueous layer. {In the preliminary treatment, of the crude iodine withtheacid,

easily decomposableimpurities, such; as 03 anogen compounds, are removed and mineral impurities, such: as iodides, bromides, chlo- 'rides,-carbonate's', iron compounds, etc.,-are' dissolved or decomposedi Thenby heating the aqueous suspension to melt theiodine 'a complete separation 1 of imolte'n 'iodine from the aqueous 'layer' takes place. 1 Accordingly, when themolten iodine is drawn off, it is free from even traces of moistureand the solidi fied material consists of iodine of purityvof 99.9 percent or more. Should inclusions of matter insoluble inthe acid be present in' the crude iodine, which are not affected by the acid treatment, the samemay be readily removedby filtering the molten iodine through asbestos or mineral Wool before is runinto Reference is made to the drawing-as illustrating one form of apparatus suitable for conducting the purification process. A Y

treating vessel 1 of stone-ware or other corrosion resisting material is set in an oil bath 2 containedwithin a tank 3. For heating the oil bath a gas burner 4 is shown, the hot combustion gases from which are conducted through a U-tube 5 located within tank 3 in contact with the body of oil, in 'a well'known manner. Vessel l is provided with a cover 6, the latter having a gland and stufiing box 7 for the shaft of a mechanical stirrer 8. Cover 6 is provided with: a closable charging opening 9 and a second opening10'through no i 5 duce f ranularmaterial.

' which may be inserted oneleg of a removable siphon 11, the oint being'closed by suitable lute or packing 12. Siphon 11 has a side arm 13 connecting to 'a source of suction for starting the siphon and is connected to a filter 14;, the latter. being arranged to discharge by gravity; into a water-cooled panor mold 15 closed by a cover 16. 7

A' charge of crude iodinecrystals is intro duced into vessel 1 together with a quantity of sulphuric or phosphoric acid. The acid and crystals are thoroughly mixed by means of stirrer 8, and the mixture is heated by means;

of oil bath 2 to a temperature somewhat above the melting point of theiodine, conveniently about. 120 160"? C. lVhen fusion is complete the stirrer is stopped and the hot contents of ve'sel 1 are allowed to stratify, forming a lower layer of molten iodine and an upper layerv ofaqueous acid. .The molten iodine is drawn ofi through siphon 11 to filter 14 wherein it flows through a filter bed of asbestos or glass wool. The filtered molten iodine-then flows into; thewater cooled pan 7 or mold 15 where it'solidifies as asolid cake.

By proceduresimilar to thatjust described I have prepared from a crude iodine contain ing as much as percent water ,and'more than0.05'per cent non-volatile residue a mois ture free purified product analyzing 99.9 per cent iodine and having less than 0.01per cent non-volatile residue; Such a product possesses a higher degree of puritythan isrequired by the United. States Pharmacopeia.

For the acid purification bath I have found that certain-acidsalts may be substituted, at

. least in'part,xfor the sulphuric acid or phosphoric acid, -e.. g. the alkali metal hydrosulphates or monosulphates. For example, a strong solution of potassium or sodium hydrosulphate, or oflamixture of the two, in sulphuricacid may be used-with advantage instead oftheacid alone. Similarly a strong solution of 'm'onopotassium. or monosodium j phosphate may be used, preferably with addition of some phosphoric acid.

Instead of siphoning or drawing oif the molten iodine from the purificationvessel,it maybe allowed to solidify in situ. The

aqueous acid may then be decanted or drawn" on and the solid cake. of iodine removed and washed free from acid. Owing to the'shrinkage of the iodine upon solidifying, however,

voids and crevices :are formed .inthe solid cake from W'hich it is difficult to wash all traces of mineral acid.v The purified'product obtained by the last-mentioned modified pro- 'cedure, therefore, does not possess quite the same high degree of'purity as'theproduct first describe'd,but it will be sufficiently pure to .answer the usual demands of the trade.

' The molten'fiodine solidifies to form" a moderately hard cakexhaving a crystalline fracturewh'ich may be easily crushedto pro- Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards,

the method herein disclosed, provided the step or. steps stated by any of the following 7 claims or the equivalent'of such stated step or steps be employed. v 1

Itherefore particularly point out and distinctly claim asmy invention ing point of iodine, permitting the samet-o stratifyv into a lower layer of molten iodine and asupernatant aqueous acid layer and drawing off the molten iodine from the aqueous liquid. 1' 2. v

3. The method of purifying crude 'iodine which comprises agitatingcrude iodine with an approximately per cent sulphuric acid solution, heating'thefmixture 'to a tempera-- ture between 120 and 160 0., permitting the same to stratify into a lowerlayer of molten iodine and a supernatantaqeuous acid layer, drawing off the molten iodine from the aqueous liquid and Icooling'to solidify the samem q 1 4. In a method" of purifying crude iodine,

iodine with anaqeuous sulphuric acidsolution to a temperature above the melting point of iodine, and separating the molteniodine from the aqueous liquid bydecantationQ 5. In a method of purifying'crude iodine,

the steps which consist in heating such crude iodine 'to a temperature above the melting thesteps which consist in heating. such crude" point thereof with a strong aqeuous solution of one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of sulphuric'acid, phosphoric acid, alkali-metal hydrosulphates, and

alkali-metal monophosphates, and separating 6. The method of purifyingcrudeiodine which comprises agitat-ingsuch iodine with anaqueous solution of a compoundselected from the group consisting of sulphuric acid,

I the molten iodine from the aqueous liquid.

phosphoric acid, alkali metal hydrosulphates,

and alkali metal monophosphates, heating the mixture to a temperature above the melt.- ing point of iodine at a pressure suflicient to maintain the aqueous solution substantially in liquid phase, permittingthe mixture'to stratify into an iodine layer and an aqueous layer, and separating the twolayers from each other.

7 The method of purifying crude iodine which comprises agitating such iodine with an aqueous sulphuric acid solution, heating 1 the mixture to a temperature above the melting point of iodine at a pressure sufiicientto maintain the aqueous solution substantially in liquid phase, permitting the mixture to stratify into an iodine layer and an aqueous layer, and separating the'two layers from each other. V

8. The method of purifying crude iodine which comprises agitating such iodine-with an aqueous solution of sulphuricacid and alkali metal hydrosulphate, heating the mixture to a temperature above the melting point of iodine at a pressure suflicient to maintain the aqueous solution substantialyin liquid phase, permitting the mixture to stratify into an iodine layer and an aqueous layer, and separating the two layers from each other.

9. The method of purifying crude iodine which comprises agitating such iodine with an aqueous phosphoric acid solution, heating GERTIFIGATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,895,929. January 3i, 1.933.

it ishereby ceriifie that error appears in the primed specification of the uimve numbered patent requiring cm'regtion as inflows: Page 2, line 18, for the misspelled word "vase!" mad "vessei", and line 39, for "menosulphates" read "monophosphates";page 3, iine 17, claim 8, 0?" "substantially" read "substantially" and that the said Leiiers Pawn: shmzid be read. with mass: mrrectiuns therein that the same may mask-m1 t0 the ward of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this Hi5] (lay 0f April, A. D. 1933.

M. J. Moore (56M) Actmg Gmmnissroner of Patents. 

